What is This World Coming To?

Chapter 1
What Is This World Coming To?

The brutal terrorist attacks on the U.S. World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings were like thunderclaps of a gathering storm—such as there never was. What do these and other ominous rumblings of society portend? Is there any hope for the world on the other side of this trouble which will certainly climax in a furious storm?

After the cold war ended with the collapse of communism, Third World Nations became armed camps of instability that pose a continual threat to world peace. The United States entered the new millennium with a record debt and a staggering world recession. Of the world’s 6 billion people, 1.3 billion live in poverty on $1 a day or less, and 1.1 billion are malnourished. Hunger and starvation shape their lives. Thousands more eat canned pet food. Three million Americans live on the streets. The top ten billionaires have wealth equivalent to the rest of the world according to the U.N. Human Development Report, 1998.

Most historians now agree that since World War I our world has been coming to an end. Not the destruction of the planet earth, but the end of our social order—our civilization. Rowse states, “If ever there was a year that marked the end of an era and the beginning of another, it was 1914. That year brought to an end the old world with its sense of security and began a modern age whose chief characteristic is insecurity on a daily basis.” (Rowse, Oxford Historian and Biographer, June 28, 1959.) From 1914 to 1918, World War I shook Europe to its foundations. The 1920s witnessed the overthrow or demise in power of the centuries-old church-state ruling houses of Europe, in which
kings claimed to rule by “divine right.” The Thirties offered the Great Depression; the Forties, World War II. The Fifties saw the communist takeover of more than one third of the world, while the Sixties were terrorized by race riots and the youth revolt.

In the Seventies, corruption in government reached its zenith with the forced resignation of Vice President Agnew and then President Nixon. Crime and violence continued to spiral. The sex revolution began the eroding of long accepted moral standards of our society. The Eighties became the “decade of greed.” Junk bond manipulation, S&L corruption and bank mismanagement helped bring the economy to a grinding halt. These combined with the AIDS time bomb and the pollution countdown made the 1990s a “decade of uncertainty.” 9/11/2001 ushered in the twenty-first century with a “decade of terrorism.”

Is it any wonder so many ask, “What is this world coming to?” Some reason further, “If there is a God who cares, why does He permit all of this trouble, evil and suffering?” Not finding reliable answers to this question, many have abandoned religion.

Growing Materialism…Shrinking Faith
The failure of traditional churches to answer the many questions facing modern man has divided the western world into two camps-the non-religious “materialist camp” and the religious “Christian camp.” The materialist camp is composed of atheists, agnostics, humanists, and existentialists. Materialists like to think that observable facts and provable theories are the only bases of their thoughts and actions. But as William James, the noted philosopher, observed, all materialists have one thing in common with the Christian-and that is faith. An atheist cannot deny the existence of God by scientific fact and, therefore, must assume his premise by faith. The agnostic accepts the premise that there are many concepts that cannot be proven, but even his premise is unprovable. All schools of philosophy are based on faith.

Though the Christian camp can agree that there is a God, Christians disagree on almost everything else. No doubt, this fact is one reason so many have joined the materialist camp today. Space-age man-staggered by the complexity of the universe-complains that he is “turned off” by the traditional churches when he receives religious answers that are museum pieces from the “Middle Ages.” To modern religious groups like Seventh

Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, etc., the materialist cries, “Your God is too small!” as they seem to imply that only their group will be saved. Thank God, His love is broad enough to include everyone-Catholic and Protestant, the modern religionist as well as the materialist.

Lacking an explanation and solution to man’s dilemma, the materialist taunts the Christian camp to come up with answers. Unfortunately, most Christians are unable to meet the challenge. However, there have been notable exceptions. Since the late 1800s diligent students of Bible prophecy warned that the Twentieth Century would be devastated by political, social, economic and religious upheavals. This unprecedented trouble would destroy what the Bible refers to the “present evil world” or social order. Galatians 1:4.

A Remarkable Prediction
The August 30, 1914, issue of The World Magazine in a feature article about Bible Student predictions reported: “The terrific war outbreak in Europe has fulfilled an extraordinary prophecy. For 25 years Bible Students have been proclaiming to the world that the Day of Wrath prophesied in the Bible would dawn in 1914.

“The Bible speaks of a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.”
This prophecy of Daniel Bible Students identify as the “Day of Wrath,” the “Time of
the Lord,” and the so-called “End of the World,” references which are plentiful in the
Scriptures.”

How Historians View Current Turmoil
The following is a part of the record: Looking back from the vantage point of the present we see that the outbreak of World War I ushered in a twentieth-century “Time of
Troubles”…from which our civilization has by no means yet emerged. Directly or indirectly all the convulsions of the last half century stem back to 1914: the two World Wars, the Bolshevik Revolution, the rise and fall of Hitler, the continuing turmoil in the Far and Near East. the power-struggle between the Communist world and our own. More than 23,000,000 deaths can be traced to one or the other of these upheavals..” (Edmond Taylor, The Fall of Dynasties, Doubleday, N.Y., 1963, p. 16.) A world mesmerized by Science and Progress mocked the mysticism of religious sects which had long predicted that the world would end in the year 1914; fifty years later the world isn’t so sure that it didn’t end in 1914.... (The Great Ideas Today, 1963, Britannica Great Books, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., pp. 107,
108.)

Historians mark 1914 as the ending of a world. The convulsions since are both the processes of its disintegration and the birth pangs of a new world. Britannica editors, as noted, observed that a religious group (actually known as Bible Students) predicted 1914 would mark the ending of a world in just this manner. Thus, whatever this world is coming to, assurance and even comfort lie in knowing that the Word
of God predicted today’s phenomenal happenings beforehand.

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Chapter 2
Today’s Headlines Written Nearly 2,000 Years Ago

Many Bible prophecies predict the conditions and events of our day as signs of the end of the world-today’s headlines written nearly 2,000 years ago. Consideration of these prophecies establishes:
(1) that the Bible is indeed the inspired Word of God;

(2) that we are living in unprecedented times prophesied in Scripture as the
“end of the world”; and

(3) that man is standing at the threshold of lasting peace and economic security
in a pollution-free earth.

Daniel 12:1 and 4 give four signs that mark the “time of the end,” or end of the world:

(1) A time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation;
(2) Many shall run to and fro;
(3) Knowledge shall be increased; and
(4) Your (Daniel’s) people (Israel) delivered.
Unprecedented Trouble—Daniel 12

That the first sign, unprecedented trouble, is the hallmark of our time is confirmed by historians. True, the world has always had trouble, but never before has it been in such staggering proportions.

Wars: In the 20th Century over 100 million lives were lost through war. From 1990 to 1995, 70 states involved in 93 wars killed 5.5 million people. Forty wars were waged in 1999. The unprecedented terrorism of September 11 marked 2001.

In his book Out of Control, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and professor of American Foreign Policy at John Hopkins University, notes that the 20th century began amid great hope and promise, but became the century of insanity. In elaborating on his observation of 175 million slaughtered in the name of the “politics of organized insanity,” he says: “Contrary to its promise, the twentieth century became mankind’s most bloody and hateful century of hallucinatory politics and of monstrous killings. Cruelty was institutionalized to an unprecedented degree, lethality was organized on a mass production basis. The contrast between the scientific potential for good and the political evil that was actually unleashed is shocking. Never before in history was killing so globally pervasive, never before did it consume so many lives, never before was human annihilation pursued with such concentration of sustained effort on behalf of such arrogantly irrational goals.”

The population explosion and industrialization of Third World nations accentuate the oil crunch. Nations will go to war for oil. Many Third World nations have the poor —chemical warfare, and are working on actual nuclear warheads. Such volatile weaponry in the hands of these regimes spells trouble. The economic and political instability of the Soviet Union could result in a military coup.

Population Explosion: Before 1650 A.D. the population doubled every 1,000 years. In 1804 A.D. the population was one billion. It doubled in 1927 (123 years later). And doubled again in 1974 (only 47 years later). In 1990 the world population was 5.5 billion. By 2000 A.D. it increased one billion. Up to 15 million people die of starvation annually. There are 40 million refugees worldwide and 100 million homeless. Each day 40,000 babies die of starvation in Third World countries, while Americans spend over $900 million yearly feeding dogs and cats.

Pollution: The U.S. has 4.6 % of the world’s population, but annually disposes of 290 million tons of toxic waste, uses 26% of the world’s oil, 26% of the world’s coal, and 27% of the world’s natural gas; releases 26% of the world’s nitrogen oxides; and produces 25.5 % of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Air pollutants from car exhaust and industry spawn disease. Deaths
from respiratory disease double every five years. Skin cancer and cataracts caused by ozone
depletion are increasing. From 1950 to 1980 melanomas increased by 500%.
Solid wastes, radioactive and toxic chemical wastes are contaminating our rivers, lakes and
oceans. In the last 200 years, the U.S. has lost 50% of its wetlands, 90% of its old-growth forests,
and 99% of its tall-grass prairie. The world is losing tropical forests at a rate of almost 42 million
acres per year, an increase of 50% from a decade ago. At the current rate, tropical forests will be
gone within 115 years. Rain forests cover only 7% of Earth’s surface, but contain over 50% of its
species. Acid rain is destroying our forests, which in turn will produce “global warming.”
Global Warming: “Except for nuclear war or a collision with an asteroid, no force has more
potential to damage our planet’s web of life than global warming.” (Time Magazine, April 9,
2001) The 1990s were the hottest decade on record. Over the 20th century, Earth’s average
temperature rose approximately one degree. Warmer climates have widespread effects on the
environment.
The sea level will rise as oceans absorb heat from the atmosphere and expand. Polar ice caps will
melt. Increases in sea level will flood and erode coastal areas inhabited by half the world’s
population. Tropical storms will become more frequent and intense. Weather patterns will become
extreme, causing flooding. Soil moisture will decrease impacting crop failures and life-threatening
droughts. “Breadbasket farmland” (like our Midwest) will become barren desert. Markets and
food supplies will be disrupted. Severe food shortages will result.
Time is running out, according to Lester R. Brown, president of the highly respected Worldwatch
Institute.
Preceding generations have always been concerned about the future, but ours is the
first to be faced with decisions that will determine whether the earth our children
inherit will be inhabitable.
Scientists are now concerned that the population explosion could hasten and increase the effects
of global warming. Drastic climate changes resulting in economic disaster in many nations could
trigger wars for survival.
Drugs: We are losing the drug war because the huge profits are too corrupting. There are 2.2
million hard-core drug users in the United States. While one out of forty persons in New York
City is hard-core, nationally one out of one hundred are hard-core users. The number of casual
users is substantially higher. Is it any wonder the crime rate is spiraling? Seventy percent of New
York City’s drug users are affluent. One thousand drug addicted babies are born every day.
Economic chaos: The U.S. entered 2003 with a staggering debt of $6.8 trillion and a perilous
foreign trade imbalance. The nineties were the “decade of uncertainty.” Outstanding consumer
credit debts have increased from $349.4 billion in 1980 to $3,996 billion in 2003.
Indeed, our generation is experiencing a “Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a
nation.”
Increased Travel—Daniel 12:1
The second sign is increased travel. Transportation has expanded rapidly because of the
automobile. Selden made the first automobile in 1877. Today there are over 600,000,000 cars.
Through numerous modes of transportation millions are crossing and recrossing each other’s
paths around the world. In the past 100 years, man has increased his travel from 30 mph to
25,000 mph off the planet to the moon.
Knowledge Increased—Daniel 12:1
If the increase of knowledge from the dawn of history to the 1880s is given a value of one, then
knowledge has doubled 16 times within the last 10 years. One hundred years ago, 90 of the
world’s population could neither read nor write. Today, 40% of the world’s population can read
and write, and in the Western world literacy has reached nearly 90%.
Ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today. Fifty percent of the world’s
inventions have been created in the last decade.
Sophistication in communications allows man to see and hear throughout the world instantly. U.S.
homes with telephone answering devices jumped from 31% in 1990 to 74% in 2000. Cordless
telephones jumped from 25% in 1990 to 78% in 2000. In 1989 there were 3.5 million cellular
telephone subscribers; by 1999 there were 86.0 million. In 1990 there were 9.9 million pagers; by
1999 there were 53.5 million.
In 1995, 31.7% households had personal computers; by 2000, 53%. In the last decade, 66.3
million computers were sold. In 1993 there were 3 million Internet users; by mid 1999 there were
nearly 200 million; by 2000 there were 332.7 million.
The noted historian, Barbara Tuchman has observed,
“Man entered the Nineteenth Century using only his own and animal power,
supplemented by that of wind and water, much as he had entered the Thirteenth, or
for that matter, the First. He entered the Twentieth with his capacities in
transportation, communication, production, manufacture and weaponry multiplied
a thousandfold by the energy of machines.” (The Proud Tower, Foreword, xvi)
Unprecedented travel and increase of knowledge marks our day at the “time of the end.”
Israel Becomes a Nation—Daniel 12:1
The fourth sign which marks us at the “time of the end” is that the Lord will stand up for Daniel’s
“people,” the Jewish nation. If we are living in this “time of the end,” we should expect dramatic
evidence of God’s favor on behalf of the Jewish people.
Against this background, Matthew 24 becomes meaningful. “What shall be the sign of your
coming [Greek, parousia], and of the end of the world [age]?” Matt. 24:3
Matthew 24:32-34 gives the deliverance of Israel as one of these signs. “Now learn a parable of
the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh:
So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is even at the doors. Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
Israel Restored
Students of prophecy from many denominations generally recognize that the fig tree is pictorial of
the nation of Israel. (See Jeremiah, Chapter 24). In Matthew 21:19, Jesus cursed a fig tree
because he found no fruit on it. As a result of his cursing the fig tree withered.
Several days later Jesus applied the lesson of the withered fig tree. He proclaimed judgment on
the nation of Israel, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:38) because it
had not borne fruitage to God. Israel was subsequently scattered and persecuted.
Israel’s restoration is an outstanding sign of the end of the age. The fig tree coming back to life
and putting forth leaves represents Israel coming to life as a nation, and receiving God’s
increasing favor. Historians agree that Israel’s rebirth is a miracle of history. Never before has a
nation been destroyed, its people dispersed to the ends of the earth and then-nearly 2,000 years
later-its descendants regathered to their homeland and re-established as a nation.
Compare Luke 21:29?32 with Matthew 24:32?34. The restoration of Israel means the kingdom is
at hand.
“And he spoke to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they
now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is nigh at
hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the
kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not
pass away, till all be fulfilled.” Luke 21:29?32.
The generation that witnesses Israel restored as a nation will also witness the complete end of the
world or age, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God.
Scriptures are charged with signs that have become the headlines of our day: Jerusalem is no
longer trodden down by Gentiles (Lk. 21:24). Many new nations have gained independence (Lk.
21:29,30). Evil is exposed as never before (I Cor. 4:5). Most people, even the professedly
religious, lack faith (Lk. 18:8). Men love themselves, have no respect for parents, and have no
natural affection (2 Tim. 3:1?5). Turmoil grows between labor and capital (Jas. 5:1?4). Wars and
war preparations intensify (Joel 3:9?11). All the while men proclaim “peace” (I Thess. 5:2,3).
Men’s hearts fail for fear (Lk. 21:36).
One more sign bears consideration.
Nations on the Run—Another Remarkable Prophecy
“Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day
of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear
met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit
him.” Amos 5:18,19,20
In Amos’ prophecy the fleeing man represents the world’s experiences in this dark “time of
trouble.” At the dawning of our era, Great Britain ruled the most expansive empire on earth. The
lion in this prophecy, Britain’s national symbol, appropriately illustrated the mighty nation that
devoured (colonized) weaker nations. Colonialism’s suffocating grasping led to the world’s
fleeing to another form of government.
The man in Amos 5:20 escaped the lion only to meet the bear—a form of government
diametrically opposed to the grasping greed of colonialism—communism! The former Soviet
Union, the “bear” of Amos’ prophecy, offered man another hope for safety in this time of trouble.
Communism’s failure to rescue man was underscored by its precipitous fall. Nations are now
seeking another hope of security-nationalism.
Entering the “house” of nationalism has been anything but comfortable for the nations of the
world. Bosnia, Serbia, Germany and other nations seeking safety in nationalism have suffered civil
war, economic malaise, the rise of new "hate groups" and other ills. While in the supposed
security of ultra-nationalism (will church and state reunite?) the people place their hand on the
wall. Seeking rest in the supporting structure of human government will result in being bitten by
the serpent. That old Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which once deceived the nations to think that
they were Christ’s Kingdom (Revelation 12:9) will bite them again. Then the nations will feel the
rebuke of Jehovah in the great time of trouble.
Terrorism
“The weak say I am strong.” Joel 3:10
Although few in numbers and limited in armaments, the Islamic terrorists boast they will
overthrow the “Great Satan.” the U.S. and Christendom, Western Europe. Already,
fundamentalists in the large Islamic communities of Europe are openly calling for “holy” Jihad.
All of these prophecies mark the time when the present evil world is being destroyed. God is now
revealing Himself as never before in history, a revelation which will climax with the establishment
of the Kingdom of Christ on earth.
Take heart—even though things must get worse before they get better. It is the unprecedented
severity of world problems (Matthew 24:21) and the paralysis of hopelessness (Luke 21:25) that
mark us at the threshold of the great Kingdom blessings which God has in store for man.
Just as urban renewal requires the demolition of old structures, so the full establishment of
Christ’s Kingdom requires the removal of our corrupt civilization (Hebrews 12:28). The present
generation will see the Kingdom in all its glory (Luke 21:21-32).
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Chapter 3
Why God Permits Evil
Justifiably, the question arises as to why God has permitted man to suffer for thousands of years,
and then, only when Christ returns and establishes his Kingdom is all changed? The question of
suffering and evil has always been an enigma to man. Philosophers of all times and ages have
pondered the question to no avail. But the Scriptures provide a logical answer to this question
which leaves one in awe.
Webster defines evil as “that which produces unhappiness; anything which either directly or
remotely causes suffering of any kind.”
God desires mankind to live in peace, harmony and happiness. He knows this will only happen as
each practices the principles of righteousness and love. Otherwise evil will result with its
consequences of suffering and unhappiness.
Here we are faced with what can be referred to as the “dilemma of God”—the planetary systems
move in mechanical obedience; the animal creation is driven mainly by instinct; but God desired
the human race to have a free will and to “worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God
could have programmed the ideal man and utopia would have been inevitable, but man would be
no better than a robot, nor would he be happy. Further, it is impossible to worship only “in truth,”
to obey truth and righteousness for what you can get out of it without having the “spirit” or
appreciation of righteousness.
Out of sheer appreciation of the principles of righteousness—worshiping in spirit—God desired
man to live in harmony with both his Creator and fellow man. God knows it is only as man is fully
motivated by the principles of righteousness, that he can really attain happiness for himself and be
in that attitude of cheerful concern for the happiness of his fellows.
The problems of free has a built-in dilemma. Man can rebel against his Creator. The Lord was
willing to bestow free will, fully cognizant that it would cost Him dearly before man became fully
responsible to this freedom. What an awesome power! Man can stand in stiff-necked rebellion
against his Creator. He can refuse to submit to God’s authority. He can refuse to accept God’s
favor. He can choose to avert the mercy of God and adamantly stand upon his decision against
God. For by free will, man is man, created in the image of God, and neither an animal nor a
machine.
Put yourself in God’s place to appreciate this dilemma. A parent will tell his baby not to touch the
stove because it is hot. But, what does a baby know about being burned? The anxious parent
knows the inevitability of the baby touching the stove before learning the consequence of heat. A
wise parent will create a controlled experience with heat-lightly and quickly touching the child’s
hand where the heat is not too severe. And all through life parents will admonish their children,
knowing that they will only learn certain lessons the “hard way”—by experience.
As our Father, God knew man would not comprehend His warning about sin, disobedience and
their dire consequences. So God formulated a plan whereby man, through his own choice, might
first experience evil and then righteousness (in God’s kingdom). This contrasting experience will
demonstrate the beauty and righteousness of God’s law and the dire consequence of its violation
as no other process could.
The recovery from sin is called redemption in the Bible. Redemption simply means the release
from sin and death through the payment of a price. The thought is similar to the releasing a person
from prison when a benefactor pays the fine the prisoner couldn’t afford. This release through the
death of Jesus is often considered as an afterthought of God to salvage some of the human race.
But the depth of God’s wisdom is shown by His foresight in devising a plan that provides for
man’s free choice and experience with evil, redemption through Christ and ultimate eternal
happiness. Thus Isaiah 46:9?10 speaks of God knowing and declaring the end from the beginning.
Eden: Actual History
The third chapter of Genesis is the divinely provided history of man’s free will choice. God
instructed man that if he practiced righteousness, he would live forever. If he disobeyed, then
“dying he would die.” Death would be a process of sorrow and suffering culminating with the
grave. Note well that death, not eternal torment, is the penalty for sin (Genesis 2:17; Psalms
146:4). Like the child and heat, man did not know what suffering and death were. He disobeyed.
God is now giving man a controlled experience with evil. We read in Ecclesiastes 1:13 and 3:10,
“This sore travail hath God given to man to be exercised therewith.” Man’s travail with evil is for
a purpose, that he might be exercised or taught certain lessons by it.
Some will say, “Don’t tell me you still believe in original sin! Just because Adam and Eve were
disobedient, the whole human race are sinners?” In I Timothy 2:13,14; I Corinthians 15:21,22;
Romans 5:14; and John 8:44, both Jesus and the apostles refer to the event in Eden as a real timespace
situation. What better proof can we have that the Genesis account of Eden was actual
history? Unfortunately, the logic of this concept has been obscured by Dark Age superstitions that
have been attached to it, such as “hell fire,” with a vindictive God who must be placated. Modern
man is rightly repelled by the superstitions contained in some church theology, but these
superstitions are not taught in the Bible. Shorn of Dark Age theology, there is no better
explanation of man’s miserable plight than the Scriptural teaching of original sin.
Another Look at Sin
Not too long ago, sin was treated lightly. It was called “ignorance,” only a growing pain of the
human race. Give man a bit more education, let him become a little more civilized and he will
evolve out of his sin, leaving evil behind him. But now we are not so sure. The heinous events of
World War II (12 million murders, leveled cities, gas chambers), followed by the continuing
senseless acceleration of war, crime and violence (old people killed for kicks, 70-year-old women
molested) and other immoralities, have forced man to take a second look at the problem of evil.
A fresh look at sin is pointedly reflected in the words of Dr. Cyril E. M. Joad, a noted Professor
of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of London, and listed by the editor of The
American Weekly as one of the world’s great scientists. Joad said:
"For years my name regularly appeared with H. G. Wells, Bertrand Russell, and
Aldous Huxley as a derider of religion…. Then came the war, and the existence of
evil made its impact upon me as a positive and obtrusive fact. The war opened my
eyes to the impossibility of writing off what I had better call man’s ‘sinfulness’ as a
mere by-product of circumstance. The evil in man was due, I was taught, either to
economic circumstance (because people were poor, their habits were squalid, their
tastes undeveloped, their passions untamed) or to psychological circumstances.
For were not psycho-analysts telling me that all the regressive, aggressive, or
inhibited tendencies of human nature were due to the unfortunate psychological
environment of one’s early childhood?
“The implications are obvious; remove the circumstances, entrust children to
psycho? analyzed nurses and teachers, and virtue would reign.
“I have come flatly to disbelieve all this. I see now that evil is endemic in man, and
that the Christian doctrine of original sin expresses a deep and essential insight into
human nature."
As Dr. Joad, society is taking another look at evil. It can no longer be considered a growing pain.
It is too deadly a disease to be explained away by environment.
Speaking collectively of the human race, the Psalmist said, “In sin did my mother conceive me.”
(Psalms 51:5) The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:12 says, “By one man sin entered the world and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Since father Adam sinned, justice required that he die. Before he died, Adam had children who
were born in sin. They inherited Adam’s imperfections. Thus, the whole human race is born dying.
This is how it is learning the consequences of evil. But the permission of evil is a brief controlled
experience when compared with eternity. And what are some of the grim lessons?
God permits evil to demonstrate that man without God results in:
‚ Science and possible extinction through the H-bomb or pollution;
‚ Affluence that spends $900 million a year in the U.S. for pet food while 5 million humans
starve to death;
‚ Religious Institutions whose assets total billions of dollars while millions live in poverty;
‚ Technology and its deadly tentacles of pollution encircling the globe;
‚ Towering Cities that are concrete jungles of crime and violence, filled with faceless people
experiencing life without meaning and terrible loneliness.
God permits evil to prove that man without God can only result in man’s inhumanity to man.
What is this world coming to? An understanding of what results when man is separated from God.
The Problem of Communication
In our era of permissiveness, the justice of God seems to be an offense to the rationalist. But
perhaps the problem is one of communication, which can be shown in the simple illustration of an
argument. All of us at sometime have been engaged in an argument in which we really never
objectively listened to the other party. We were too busy thinking of our answers to hear their
logic. The rationalist is carrying on a debate with God. If he would only stop and listen to what
God has explained in the historic account of Eden (Genesis 3), he would catch a glimpse of the
wisdom and justice of God which becomes man’s guarantee of an eternity of happiness.
Is God’s Justice Severe?
Some question the severity of God’s justice in the death penalty. Could not some other penalty
than death have been a just recompense for Adam’s disobedience? No doubt some other penalty
would have been just; however, God chose this penalty because it best suited His overall plan for
mankind. Once Adam was informed that death was the penalty for disobedience, then the penalty
was fair.
A basic fact to always remember is that God in His foreknowledge knew that Adam would
disobey, therefore, long before the creation of Adam, God’s wisdom devised a plan of recovery
and ultimate happiness for the human race that would require the death of His only begotten Son.
Thus I Peter 1:19-20 and Ephesians 1:4-7 speak of the blood of Christ as foreordained before the
world began for the redemption of mankind. The Creator used the time-space situation in Eden to
demonstrate the dependability of His justice. It is vital that man knows that “justice and judgment
[just decisions] are the habitation of your [God’s] throne”—Psalms 89:14. Justice is the
foundation of the government of the universe, the basis of all God’s dealings. Judgment is also
spoken of as part of this foundation. The Hebrew word here means “a just decision.” We can take
comfort in the realization that throughout eternity all of God’s decisions will be just.
Man was placed in the Edenic paradise to thoroughly enjoy the love of God. Suppose that after
Adam and Eve had lived obediently for a while, God changed His mind and chased them out of
the garden condition into the thorns and thistles of the unfinished earth. His love would be
worthless, whimsical, because it was not based on justice. It would be changeable.
Another hypothetical situation: If when Adam disobeyed, God said, “Oh, I will overlook your
disobedience this time, I will not punish you as I promised to do.” Adam might say, “Wonderful! I
am surely glad God is more loving than just.”
Wonderful? No! This would be whimsical, capricious, arbitrary. The Creator and Ruler of the
universe could never be trusted throughout eternity. At any time, in any place, with any order of
intelligent creatures, God might at the slightest whim change His mind and turn on His creatures.
Eden proved the unchangeableness of God’s justice. God declares in Malachi 3:6, “I am Jehovah,
I change not.” James 1:17 states, “The Father of lights in whom there is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.”
How unchangeable is God’s justice? So unyielding that God’s court of justice required the
payment of the costliest fine ever stipulated in a court of law. What judge has been willing to give
up his own innocent son to death in order to cancel the debt of crime of the defendant?
Another Problem of Communication
Our Creator wants us to know the depths of His love, that He is the most loving Being in the
universe. How can God communicate this to our finite minds? In human relationships words of
love can be quite meaningless. Actions speak louder than words. How did God show His love?
With tender Fatherly emotions of sorrow, God took the dearest treasure of His heart, His only
Begotten Son, and sent Him to earth to suffer and die at the hands of man. At great cost to
Himself, the wisdom of God formulated a plan which reveals that He is both just (unyielding
justice) and the justifier (benefactor) of mankind (Romans 3:25-26).
The simple events of Eden and Calvary tell so much about our God. Calvary is the greatest
manifestation of love and mercy in the history of the universe. The combination of Eden and
Calvary stand as a pledge throughout eternity that there is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning in God’s justice.
The world is, therefore, by experience coming to an understanding of God’s ways.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 4
A Ransom For All
The Scriptures are explicit that not just a few, who call themselves Christians or who believe a
certain way, but all mankind will benefit by the death of Jesus. Hebrews 2:9 states, “Jesus Christ
by the grace of God tasted death for every man.” God’s justice demands that all mankind, living
and dead, before and after the death of Christ, will experience the benefits of Christ’s death.
The following scriptures unfold the beautiful logic of God’s justice in this matter: I Timothy 2:6
speaks of Jesus’ death as “a ransom for all to be testified in due time.” The word “ransom” is a
translation of the Greek word anti-lutron which means corresponding price. Father Adam,
perfect, sinned. Death passed upon him and the prospective human race yet in his loins.
Deliverance from death required the payment of a corresponding price, the death of a perfect
man. No member of the sinful, imperfect, human race could pay this price. Only Jesus, who was
“holy, harmless, separate from sinners” could (Hebrews 7:26).
The perfect man Jesus died for Adam’s sin, thereby redeeming Adam and his offspring, the human
race, from death. Paul in Romans 5:17 says, “Therefore as by the offense of one [Adam],
judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus], the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
The question is sometimes raised, does not the providing of a ransom for man’s escape from death
prove that the death sentence was unjust or too severe, and therefore God changed His mind? The
very fact God provided so expensive a ransom price proves that His justice is unbending. In
courts of law, several forms of punishment may be equally just for a specific crime; for example,
five years’ imprisonment or twenty thousand dollars. Say we were penniless and received such a
sentence. After serving half a year, a complete stranger came along and took an interest in our
case and paid the twenty thousand dollars, would we not feel indebted to him for the rest of our
lives!
The Scriptures reveal that the ransom price, as a satisfaction for justice, was coexistent as an
alternative to the death sentence. Thus, Jesus is spoken of as “slain from before the foundation of
the world” (I Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8). The Psalmist also states that no man could give a
ransom for his brother (Psalms 49:7).
For man’s eternal good, God permits him to experience the effects of the death sentence. Then He
applies the alternative means of satisfying justice, the ransom price. When mankind becomes fully
aware, they will be eternally indebted to their Redeemer, the one who paid the fine to the court of
the universe for their release from the prison-house of death.
Why Jesus Suffered
Not only did Jesus die to provide the fine, a perfect human life that will eventually release the
human race from death, but during his lifetime he suffered at the hands of his fellow man so that
he could fully sympathize with their every need.
The Prophet Isaiah anticipated Jesus’ suffering. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of
sorrows acquainted with grief…. Surely he has borne our grief, and carried our sorrows…. He
was wounded for our transgressions… and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53: 3-5.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus is a sympathetic high priest who can be touched with a feeling of
our infirmities. Jesus continually permitted himself to be afflicted through contact with sinful man.
Every time Jesus healed, it was at the expense of his own strength. We read that “virtue [strength]
went out from him” (Mark 5:30) as he healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the lepers. He was
expending his own strength so that he might be touched with a feeling of our infirmities.
Further, Jesus was mocked. He experienced brutality, violence and murder at the hands of his
fellow men. As a Jew, he tasted the racial scorn of the Romans. He identified himself with
poverty, drudgery and obscurity. Full of compassion, his heart was moved for the mentally ill, the
physically sick, the lame, the deaf, the blind. Why? So that in his Kingdom Christ will know just
what lessons mankind will need. “Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are
out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.” (Hebrews 5:2) Jesus
assumed upon his shoulders the ills of what this world is coming to. Indeed, he has compassion on
the ignorant and them that are out of the way. Those whom he ransomed, he will know how to
restore.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 5
The Call of the Church
Jesus died nearly 2,000 years ago. The question naturally arises, Why the long delay before
setting up his Kingdom for the blessing of all mankind? One thing is clear throughout the Bible:
God has not been attempting to convert the world since Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The Scriptures speak of God dealing with only a few for a specific purpose. Christ’s followers are
spoken of as a little flock. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). God is only calling a few; a representative of every type of the human
race is being called into the church of Christ.
The Greek word for church is ecclesia which literally means “called out ones.” These called out
ones, the little flock, will share with Christ when he establishes his Kingdom for the blessing of all
mankind. Thus Paul says, “Know you not that the saints shall judge the world?” (I Corinthians
6:2).
The Revelator discloses that the followers of Jesus will live and reign with him during his
Kingdom, during the time that the benefits of Jesus’ death are bestowed upon the world of
mankind (Rev. 20:4).
Jesus’ words in Mark 4:12 show that God is not presently interested in converting even the
majority of mankind. “Unto you it is given to know the mystery [secret] of the Kingdom of God,
but unto them that are without all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and
not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be
converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” This scripture might seem strange to some,
but it gives us an insight into what God has been doing between the death of Jesus and the return
of Jesus to set up his Kingdom upon the earth.
Have you ever wondered why the Bible is difficult to understand? By divine intent it has been
written in parables, dark sayings and symbols so that it would not be easily understood. Why? So
that the majority would not bother and consequently would not be converted. During the
Christian Age, the Lord is only converting a few, a “little flock,” “who by patient continuance in
well doing seek for glory, honor and immortality”—Rom. 2:7. These are elsewhere symbolically
referred to as the bride of Christ.
After Christ returns, these believers will be united with him and then the conversion of the world
will begin. Revelation 22:17 prophesied of that time: “And the Spirit [the returned Christ] and the
bride [the true church] say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that thirsts
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
This sequence of the call of the church, the establishment of the kingdom, then the blessing of the
remainder of mankind is also corroborated by Acts 15:14-17. “God for the first time did visit the
Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name [the true church]. And to this agree the words
of the prophets; as it is written, after this I will return and will build the tabernacle of David which
is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue
[remainder] of men might seek after the Lord.…”
Note these points: A small group, “a people for His name” is first selected out of the Gentiles.
Then the tabernacle of David, which was an Old Testament type or illustration of the Kingdom of
Christ, is set up again. Why is the church first called? Why is the Kingdom (tabernacle of David)
then set up? “That the residue [all that remain] of men might seek after the Lord, and all the
Gentiles.” First a choice group is called out of the Gentile nations so that afterwards, by it the rest
of the Gentiles—the vast majority—may learn to call upon God’s name.
Remember 1 Timothy 2:6, speaking of Jesus, said, “Who gave himself a ransom for all to be
testified in due time.” The “due time” for the true church to learn of the ransom is now during the
Christian Age, but the “due time” for the rest of mankind to understand the ransom is yet future.
Mankind will be re-educated by the church.
Since the vast majority of the human race went into its graves without hearing or understanding
the “ransom for all,” the Kingdom will require the raising of the dead. This is just what Jesus tells
us in John 5:28.“Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves
shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have done good to a resurrection of life and
they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment” (RSV).
Note again the same pattern of sequence we have seen in other scriptures. All will be raised from
the dead—first, “they that have done good.” This refers to the true church. During Christ’s return
they will be raised to spiritual life and united with their heavenly Lord. Then will follow the
resurrection of the “evil class,” all the remainder of men.
They will come forth to a “resurrection of judgment.” The King James Bible, translated in A.D.
1611, grossly mistranslated the word “judgment” with the word “damnation.” The American
Revised Version in 1881 used the word “judgment,” and no translation since has used the word
“damnation.”
The Greek word in the text is krisis and it actually denotes “a crucial testing time.” This Greek
word is the source of our English word “crisis.” And it has the same meaning. A doctor might say,
“The patient will reach his crisis tomorrow morning.” This does not mean that the patient will die
tomorrow morning. Rather, the crisis of an illness is that period when the patient will take a turn
for the better or for the worse.
The “crisis” or trial time for the church is in this present life, but the “crisis” or trial time of the
remainder of mankind will be at the resurrection in the Kingdom. Billions of mankind before and
after Jesus’ earthly ministry died without receiving the light of Jesus.
Yet John 1:9 states that Jesus is the light that “lights every man that comes into the world”–a
further Scriptural confirmation that, for most, truth enlightenment will require an awakening from
the dead. The world has yet to come to this momentous experience.
Why the Church Is Called First
Why is the true church first selected to share with Christ in the Kingdom work of blessing
mankind? There are a number of reasons given in the Scriptures.
One reason can be illustrated by the noble work of Alcoholics Anonymous. An essential step of
AA therapy is to assign a former alcoholic to each alcoholic that comes for help. The victim being
driven by alcohol will not readily accept help or advice from just anyone. How could anyone
know his agony, his depression, his desperation if he has not shared the same experience? But the
alcoholic will accept help from a former alcoholic because he knows that this person can
understand his agony. And this former alcoholic stands ready at any time to come to his side, to
plead with him. It requires a former alcoholic to rehabilitate an alcoholic.
When mankind comes forth from the grave in Christ’s Kingdom, they will be informed they have
been purchased with the precious blood of Christ and they will be made aware of the fact that
they are now under the reign of Jesus Christ and his church (I Corinthians 6:2). What confidence
they will have that the church will know just how to enter into their problems! Why? Because the
church also were once sinners. This plan for rehabilitation will work. The majority will gladly
receive the instruction, the disciplining, the nurturing necessary to pass their trial for eternal life.
The world, for whom Christ died (John 3:16), is about to embark on an Age which will realize all
humanity’s deepest longings (Rom. 8:20, 22; Isa. 25:9).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chapter 6
The Kingdom of Christ
The prophecies considered in Chapter One indicate that we are at the end of the age, therefore the
selection of the church is nearly completed. The great time of trouble foretold in Daniel 12:1 and
Matthew 24:21 is upon us. Haggai 2:7 contains a thrilling promise that we should cherish in these
troubling times.
Speaking of this “Time of Trouble” Haggai prophesied, “And I will shake all nations and the
desire of all nations will come.” How comforting! The legitimate desires of all nations or peoples
shall come. The Scriptures show that one of the reasons for the “Time of Trouble” is that the
various segments of society are demanding both just and fancied desires from each other. And
nations are superimposing their desires upon other nations. The result is the disintegration of our
present evil world. But all people have legitimate desires that God will fulfill after the tribulation
demonstrates that selfish man cannot establish his own utopia.
What are some of these desires the Kingdom will fulfill? If we asked the working man struggling
to keep his head above water, “What is your desire?” his answer would be, “If only we had
economic security.” Speaking of the Kingdom, Isaiah 65:21-23 says,
“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their
fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat.
They shall not labor in vain nor bring forth for trouble.”
There will be no unemployment problem, fear of automation, inflation, depression or any
economic problem. In the Kingdom, all will have economic security as symbolized by these words
of Isaiah.
If we stopped a man on the streets of Harlem and asked him what he desired, he would reply,
“Why, if the needs of the poor and minorities were only understood, and if we could only be
assured of justice, then life could be beautiful.” The Kingdom will satisfy these desires.
Then “He [God] will defend the cause of the poor, deliver the needy and crush
the oppressor.” (Psalms 72:4)
And Isaiah 9:7 again tells us, “
Of the increase of his [Christ’s] government there will be no end…. It will be
established with justice and righteousness forevermore.”
If we asked one of our elderly in our crime ridden cities what is his desire, he would probably
reply, “If only there were no more crime and violence.” This desire will also come, for in the
Kingdom we read,
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [Kingdom], for the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isa.
11:9).
What would be the desire of patients in hospitals? Of course, they would say, “If only there were
no sickness and crippling diseases, no cancer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy. If only the
blind could see, the deaf could hear and the crippled walk.” Oh! Thank God! These desires will be
fulfilled! Of the Kingdom we read in Isaiah 33:24,
“And no inhabitant will say I am sick.”
”Isaiah 35:5— “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf
unstopped, then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb
sing for joy.”
And what would be the desire of youth? One of their many idealisms is, “Can’t there be a world
without war? And why can’t the billions of dollars and the cream of technology that is wasted on
the armament race be harnessed for peace and human needs?” In the Kingdom we read in Isaiah
2:4,
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning
hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war
anymore.”
If we went to the sub-Saharan drought belt of Africa where over a million have starved to death in
a recent six-year period, and ask, “What is the one desire in life you want?”—with one accord
they would say, “Oh, if only the rains could be depended on, so that we could be assured that the
land could bring forth food to feed our children.” The climatic conditions in the Kingdom will be
ideal. The earth will bring forth in abundance. In Isaiah 35:1,7, we read,
“The desert shall blossom as a rose…. And the parched ground shall become a
pool and the lands springs of water.”
Think of the countless millions who have lost loved ones in death. Their one desire is the return of
these dear victims. And in the Kingdom they will be united with their loved ones. Speaking of all
that died, Hosea 13:14 says,
“I will ransom [deliver] them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them
from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction.”
Is it any wonder Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is
in heaven”?
Is Man Too Selfish?
Well, someone might say, God will wonderfully bless mankind in the Kingdom, but there is still
the problem of man. If history has taught us anything, it is that man is too selfish to permit an
ideal society. This has been true, but the reason the Kingdom will work is that God intends to
change man’s selfish heart of stone into a heart of love. We have seen in the chapter on the
permission of evil that the basic lesson God is now teaching man is the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
Man alienated himself from God by disobeying and man without God results in selfish havoc.
The Kingdom of Christ will rule in righteousness; the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth
as the waters cover the deep so that all will know the Lord (Isaiah 11:9). Satan will be bound so
that he cannot deceive the people (Revelation 20:1-3). The love of God will abundantly bestow
blessings of life, peace and happiness upon all. The very spirit or influence of this Kingdom
arrangement will have an overwhelming transforming effect on the hearts of men.
Of this mighty working of the spirit we read in Ezekiel 11:19-20,
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will
take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh. That
they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they
shall be my people. and I will be their God.”
The Iron Rule
For many an iron rule will at first be required in order to change their heart of stone into a heart of
flesh. The laws of the Kingdom of Christ will be far more exacting than those of any previous
government and the liberties of the people will be restricted to a degree that will be galling indeed
to many now clamoring for an increase of liberty without responsibility.
Liberty to deceive, to misrepresent, to overreach and to defraud others, will be entirely stopped.
Liberty to abuse themselves or others in food or in drink, or in any way to corrupt good manners,
will be totally denied to all.
Liberty or license to do wrong of any sort will not be granted to any. The only liberty that will be
granted to any will be the true and glorious liberty of the sons of God-liberty to do good to
themselves and others in any and in every way. Nothing will be allowed to injure or destroy in all
that holy kingdom. (Isaiah 11:9; Romans 8:21)
That rule will consequently be felt by some to be a severe one, breaking up all their former habits
and customs, as well as breaking up present institutions founded upon these false habits and false
ideas of liberty. Because of its firmness and vigor, it is symbolically called an iron rule, “He shall
rule them with a rod of iron.” (Compare Revelation 2:26, 27; Psalms 2:8-12, and 49:14.) Thus
will be fulfilled the statement,
“Judgment will I lay to the line and righteousness to the plummet. And the hail
[righteous judgment] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters [truth]
shall overflow the hiding place,”
Every hidden thing shall be revealed. Isa. 28:17; Matt. 10:26.
Some will feel rebellious against that perfect and equitable rule. Now under the influence of Satan,
they lord it over their fellow men. In the Kingdom, these will attempt to live wholly at the expense
of others without rendering compensating service. This present life of self-indulgence and
gratification will naturally demand and receive many and severe disciplines under that reign,
before such will learn the lessons of that Kingdom-equity, justice, righteousness. Psa. 89:32; Luke
12:47,48
But, blessed thought! When the Prince of Life has put in force the laws of righteousness and
equity with an iron rule, the masses of mankind will learn that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but
sin is a reproach to any people.” They will learn that God’s plan and laws are best in the end for
all concerned, and ultimately they will learn to love righteousness and hate iniquity. (Psalms 45:7;
Hebrews 1:9) All under that reign who have not learned to love the right, will be counted
unworthy of lasting life and will be cut off from among the people. Acts 3:23; Rev. 20:9; Psa.
11:5-7.
Revelation 21:4 beautifully sums up the work of the Kingdom:
“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former
things are passed away.”
At the end of the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ, as mankind stands at the threshold of
eternity, they will look back upon this present life of suffering, sickness and sorrow. Though this
experience seems dark and interminable at present, then, by contrast with eternity, it will seem
trifling. With this grand perspective, what this world is coming to now is seen as only a necessary
bridge that passes over into life everlasting.
Men will thank their God for this experience with sin and evil, and at that time all creatures in
heaven and every creature on earth will raise their voices in that grand Hallelujah chorus recorded
in Revelation 5:13,
“Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him [God] that sits upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb [that was slain] for ever and ever.” Amen.

Introduction

A correct understanding of the subject of this booklet is almost a necessity to Christian steadfastness. For centuries it has been the teaching of “orthodoxy,” of all shades, that God, before creating man, had created a great abyss of fire and terrors, capable of containing all the billions of the human family which he purposed to bring into being; that this abyss he had named hell; and that all of the promises and threatenings of the Bible were designed to deter as many as possible (a “little flock”) from such wrong-doing as would make this awful place their perpetual home.

While glad to see superstitions fall, and truer ideas of the great, and wise, and just, and loving Creator prevail, we are alarmed to notice that the tendency with all who abandon this long-revered doctrine is toward doubt, skepticism, infidelity. Why should this be the case, when the mind is merely being delivered from an error—do you ask? Because Christian people have so long been taught that the foundation of this awful blasphemy against God’s character and government is deep-laid and firmly fixed in the Word of God—the Bible—and consequently, to whatever degree their belief in hell is shaken, to that extent their faith in the Bible, as the revelation of the true God, is shaken also; so that those who have dropped their belief in a hell, of some kind of endless torment, are often open infidels and scoffers at God’s Word.

Guided by the Lord’s providence to a realization that the Bible has been slandered, as well as its divine Author, and that, rightly understood, it teaches nothing on this subject derogatory to God’s character nor to an intelligent reason, we have attempted in this booklet to lay bare the Scripture teaching on this subject, that thereby faith in God and his Word may be reestablished, on a better, reasonable foundation. Indeed, it is our opinion that whoever shall hereby find that his false view rested upon human misconceptions and misinterpretations will, at the same time, learn to trust hereafter less to his own and other men’s imaginings, and, by faith, to grasp more firmly the Word of God, which is able to make wise unto salvation; and on this mission, under God’s providence, it is sent forth.

Hell an English Word

In the first place, bear in mind that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek. The word hell is an English word sometimes selected by the translators of the English Bible to express the sense of the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek words hades, gehenna, and tartaroo.

The word hell in old English usage simply meant to conceal, to hide, to cover; hence a concealed, hidden, or covered place. In old English literature records may be found of the helling of potatoes—putting potatoes into pits; and of the helling of a house—covering or thatching it. The word hell was therefore properly used synonymously with the words grave and pit, to translate the words sheol and hades as signifying the secret or hidden condition of death.

The Hebrew word sheol occurs sixty-five times in the Old Testament. In the King James Version it is translated hell thirty-one times, grave thirty-one times, and pit three times. If the translators of the Revised Version had been thoroughly disentangled from error, they would have done more to help the English student than merely to substitute the Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades as they have done. They should have translated the words. But they gave us sheol and hades untranslated, and thus permitted the inference that these words mean the same as the word hell has become perverted to mean. Yet anyone can see that if it was proper to translate the word sheol thirty-one times grave and three times pit, it could not have been improper to so translate it in every other instance.

A peculiarity to be observed in comparing these cases, as we will do shortly, is that in those texts where the torment idea would be an absurdity the translators of the King James Version have used the words grave or pit; while in all other cases they have used the word hell, and the reader, long schooled in the idea of torment, reads the word hell and thinks of it as signifying a place of torment, instead of the grave, the hidden or covered place or condition. For example, compare Job 14:13 with Psalm 86:13. The former reads, “O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave [sheol],” etc., while the latter reads, “Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell [sheol].” The Hebrew word being the same in both cases, there is no reason why the same word grave should not be used in both. But how absurd it would have been for Job to pray to God to hide him in a hell of eternal torture.

Hell in the Old Testament

As before noted, the word hell occurs thirty-one times in the Old Testament, and in every instance it is sheol in the Hebrew. It does not mean a lake of fire and brimstone, nor anything at all resembling that thought; not in the slightest degree! Quite the reverse: instead of a place of blazing fire, it is described in the context as a state of “darkness” (Job 10:21); instead of a place where shrieks and groans are heard, it is described in the context as a place of “silence” (Psalm 115:17); instead of representing in any sense pain and suffering, or remorse, the context describes it as a place or condition of “forgetfulness” (Psalm 88:11, 12. “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, in the grave [sheol] whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

The meaning of sheol is “the hidden state,” as applied to man’s condition in death, in and beyond which all is hidden, except to the eye of faith; hence, by proper and close association, the word was often used in the sense of grave—the tomb, the hidden place, or place beyond which only those who have the enlightened eye of the understanding can see resurrection, restitution of being. And be it particularly noted that this identical word sheol is translated grave thirty-one times and pit three times in our Common Version by the same translators—more times than it is translated hell; and twice where it is translated hell, it seemed so absurd, according to the present accepted meaning of the English word hell, that scholars have felt it necessary to explain in the margin of modern Bibles that it means grave (Isaiah 14:9 and Jonah 2:2). In the latter case, the hidden state, or grave, was the belly of the fish in which Jonah was buried alive, and from which he cried to God.

Thirty-One Texts in Which Sheol is Translated Hell

Deuteronomy 32:22—“For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn in the lowest hell.” [A figurative representation of the destruction, the utter ruin of Israel as a nation “wrath to the uttermost,” as the apostle called it, God’s anger burning that nation to the “lowest deep,” as Leeser here translates the word sheol—1 Thessalonians 2:16.]

2 Samuel 22:6 (margin)—“The cords of hell compassed me about.” [A figure in which trouble is represented as hastening one to the tomb.]

Job 11:8—“It [God’s wisdom] is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell [than any pit]; what canst thou know?”

Job 26:6—“Hell [the tomb] is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.”

Psalm 9:17—“The wicked shall be [re]turned into hell [the condition of death], and all the nations that forget God.” [That the application of this text belongs to the coming age is evident, for both saints and sinners go into sheol or hades now. This Scripture indicates that in the time when it applies, only the wicked shall go there. In further proof of this, we find that the Hebrew word shub, which in our text is translated turned, signifies turned back, as to a previous place or condition. Those referred to in this text have been either in sheol or liable to enter it, but, being redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, will be brought out of sheol. If then they are wicked, they, and all who forget God, shall be turned back or returned to sheol.]

Psalm 16:10—“Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” [This refers to our Lord’s three days in the tomb. Acts 2:31; 3:15]

Psalm 18:5 (margin)—“The cords of hell compassed me about.” [As in 2 Samuel 22:6, trouble is represented as hastening one to the tomb.]

Psalm 55:15—“Let them go down quick into hell [margin: the grave].”

Psalm 86:13—“Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell [margin: the grave].”

Psalm 116:3—“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.” [Sickness and trouble are the figurative hands of the grave to grasp us.]

Psalm 139:8—“If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” [God’s power is unlimited; even over those in the tomb he can and will exert it and bring forth all that are in the graves. —John 5:28.]

Proverbs 5:5—“Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell” [i.e., lead to the grave].

Proverbs 7:27—“Her house is the way to hell [the grave], going down to the chambers of death.”

Proverbs 9:18—“He knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” [The harlot’s guests are represented as dead, diseased, or dying, and many of the victims of sensuality are in premature graves from diseases which also hasten their posterity to the tomb.]

Proverbs 15:11—“Hell and destruction are before the Lord.” [Here the grave is associated with destruction and not with a life of torment.]

Proverbs 15:24—“The path of life [leadeth] upward for the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” [This illustrates the hope of resurrection from the tomb.]

Proverbs 23:14—“Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” [i.e., wise correction will save a child from vicious ways which lead to premature death, and may also possibly prepare him to escape the Second Death].

Proverbs 27:20—“Hell [the grave] and destruction are never full: so the eyes of man are never satisfied.”

Isaiah 5:14—“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure.” [Here the grave is a symbol of destruction.]

Isaiah 14:9,15—“Hell [margin: grave] from beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming . . . thou shalt be brought down to hell” [the grave—so rendered in verse 11].

Isaiah 28:15-18—“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell [the grave] are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore, saith the Lord . . . Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell [the grave] shall not stand.” [God thus declared that the present prevalent idea, by which death and the grave are represented as friends, rather than enemies, shall cease; and men shall learn that death is the wages of sin, and that it comes as a result of Satan’s power (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 2:14) and not as an angel sent by God.]

Isaiah 57:9—“And didst debase thyself even unto hell.” [Here figurative of deep degradation.]

Ezekiel 31:15-17—“In the day when he went down to the grave . . . I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit . . . They also went down into hell with him, unto them that be slain with the sword.” [Figurative and prophetic description of the fall of Babylon into destruction, silence, the grave.]

Ezekiel 32:21—“The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him.” [A continuation of the same figure, representing Egypt’s overthrow as a nation to join Babylon in destruction—buried.]

Ezekiel 32:27—“And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads; but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.” [The grave is the only hell where fallen ones are buried and lie with their weapons of war under their heads.]

Amos 9:2—“Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them.” [A figurative expression; but certainly pits of the earth are the only hells men can dig into.]

Jonah 2:1,2—“Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord, his God, out of the fish’s belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” [The belly of the fish was for a time his grave—see margin.]

Habakkuk 2:5—“Who enlargeth his desire as hell [the grave] and as death, and cannot be satisfied.”

Thirty-One Texts in Which Sheol Is Translated Grave

Genesis 37:35—“I will go down into the grave unto my son.”

Genesis 42:38—“Then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.” [See also the same expression in Genesis 44:29,31. The translators did not like to send God’s servant, Jacob, to hell simply because his sons were evil.]

1 Samuel 2:6—“The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.”

1 Kings 2:6,9—“Let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace . . . his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.”

Job 7:9—“He that goeth down to the grave.”

Job 14:13—“O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me [resurrect me].”

Job 17:13—“If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.” [Job waits for resurrection in the morning.]

Job 21:13; 24:19—“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. . . . Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.” [All have sinned, hence death passed upon all men, and all go down to the grave. But all have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ; hence all shall be awakened and come forth in God’s due time in the morning—Romans 5:12,18,19.]

Psalm 6:5—“In death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?”

Psalm 30:3—“O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.” [This passage expresses gratitude for recovery from danger of death.]

Psalm 31:17—“Let the wicked be ashamed; let them be silent in the grave.”

Psalm 49:14,15—“Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright [the saints, Daniel 7:27] shall have dominion over them in the morning [the Millennial morning]; and their beauty shall consume, the grave being an habitation to every one of them. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.”

Psalm 88:3—“My life draweth nigh unto the grave.”

Psalm 89:48—“Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?”

Psalm 141:7—“Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth.”

Proverbs 1:12—“Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit” [i.e., as of an earthquake, as in Numbers 16:30-33].

Proverbs 30:15,16—“Four things say not, It is enough: the grave . . .”

Ecclesiastes 9:10—“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

Song of Solomon 8:6—“Jealousy is cruel as the grave.”

Isaiah 14:11—“Thy pomp is brought down to the grave.”

Isaiah 38:10—“I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.”

Isaiah 38:18—“The grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.”

Ezekiel 31:15—“In the day when he went down to the grave.”

Hosea 13:14—“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” [The Lord did not ransom any from a place of fire and torment, for there is no such place; but he did ransom all mankind from the grave, from death, the penalty brought upon all by Adam’s sin, as this verse declares.]

Three Texts in Which Sheol Is Translated Pit

Numbers 16:30-33—“If . . . they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand. . . . The ground cleave asunder that was under them: and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.”

Job 17:16—“They shall go down to the bars of the pit [grave], when our rest together is in the dust.”

The three lists given foregoing include every one of the sixty-five occurrences of the Hebrew word sheol in the Old Testament. From this examination it must be evident to all readers that God’s revelations for four thousand years contain not a single hint of a hell, such as the word is now understood to signify.

Hell in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the Greek word hades corresponds exactly to the Hebrew word sheol. As proof see the quotations of the apostles from the Old Testament in which they render it hades. For instance, Acts 2:27, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades],” is a quotation from Psalm 16:10, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol].”

And in 1 Corinthians 15:54,55, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave [hades], where is thy victory?” is an allusion to Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death in victory,” and to Hosea 13:14, “O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave [sheol], I will be thy destruction.”

Ten Texts in Which Hades Is Translated Hell

Matthew 11:23—“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell.” [In privileges of knowledge and opportunity the city was highly favored, or, figuratively, “exalted unto heaven;” but because of misuse of God’s favors, it would be debased, or, figuratively, cast down to hades, overthrown, destroyed. It is now so thoroughly buried in oblivion that even the site where it stood is a matter of dispute. Capernaum is certainly destroyed, thrust down to hades.]

Matthew 16:18—“Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” [Although bitter and relentless persecution, even unto death, should afflict the Church during the Gospel Age, it should never prevail to her utter extermination; and eventually, by her resurrection, accomplished by the Lord, the Church will prevail over hades—the tomb.]

Luke 10:15—“And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell.” [Same thought as in the parallel passage, Matthew 11:23]

Luke 16:23—“In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.” These words form part of a parable—that of the rich man and Lazarus. To our understanding, the rich man represented the Jewish nation. At the time of the utterance of the parable, and for a long time previous, the Jews had “fared sumptuously every day”—being the special recipients of God’s favors. Lazarus represented the outcasts from Divine favor. Although these included publicans and sinners of Israel, in the main they were Gentiles—all nations of the world aside from the Israelites. These, at the time of the utterance of this parable, were entirely destitute of those special Divine blessings which Israel enjoyed. They lay at the gate of the rich man. When, as a nation, Israel rejected Christ, the “Rich Man” soon found himself in a cast-off condition—in tribulation and affliction. In such condition Israel has suffered from that day to this.

In the parable the dissolution of the Jewish polity is well illustrated by the symbol of death, and their dispersal amongst the nations by the symbol of burial. To these symbols our Lord added a third: “In hell [hades, the grave] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off.”

The dead cannot lift up their eyes, nor see either near or far, nor converse; for it is distinctly stated: “There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave”; and the dead are described as those who “go down into silence” (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 115:17).

But the Lord wished to show that great sufferings or “torments” would be added to the Jews as a nation after their national dissolution and burial, and that they would plead in vain for release from the hand of the formerly despised Gentiles. And history has borne out this parabolic prophecy.

Christ in Hell [hades] and Resurrected From Hell [hades]

Acts 2:1,14,22-31—“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come . . . Peter . . . lifted up his voice, and said . . . Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you . . . being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains [or bands] of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it [for the Word of Jehovah had previously declared his resurrection]. For David speaketh concerning him [personating or speaking for him], I [Christ] foresaw the Lord [Jehovah] always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades, the tomb, the state of death], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou [Jehovah] hast made known to me [Christ] the ways of life.”

Here our Lord, as personified by the prophet David, expresses his faith in Jehovah’s promise of a resurrection and in the full and glorious accomplishment of Jehovah’s plan through him, and rejoices in the prospect.

Peter proceeds: “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day [so that this prophecy could not have referred to himself personally; for David’s soul was left in hell—hades, the tomb, the state of death—and his flesh, did see corruption]. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he, seeing this before [prophetically], spake of the resurrection of Christ [out of hell—hades, the tomb—to which he must go for our offenses], that his soul was not left in hell [hades, the death state], neither did his flesh see corruption.”

Thus Peter presents a strong, logical argument based on the words of the prophet David showing first, that Christ, who was delivered by God for our offenses, went to hell, the grave, the condition of death, destruction (Psalm 16:10); and second, that according to promise he had been delivered from hell, the grave, death, destruction, by a resurrection, a raising up to life; being created again, the same identical being, yet more glorious, and exalted even to the express image of his [the Father’s] person (Hebrews 1:3).

And now “that same Jesus” (Acts 2:36), in his subsequent revelation to the Church, declares in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [hades, the grave] and of death.”

Amen! Amen! our hearts respond; for in his resurrection we see the glorious outcome of the whole plan of Jehovah, to be accomplished through the power of the Resurrected One, who now holds the keys of the tomb and of death and in due time will release all the prisoners who are, therefore, called the “prisoners of hope” (Zechariah 9:12; Luke 4:18).

Revelation 6:8—“And behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” [Symbol of destruction or the grave.]

Revelation 20:13,14—“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

The lake of fire is the symbol of final, everlasting destruction. Death and hell [the grave] go into it. “There shall be no more death.” “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:26).

Other Occurrences of the Word Hell

Having examined the word sheol, the only word in the Old Testament rendered hell, and the word hades, most frequently in the New Testament rendered hell, we now notice every remaining instance in Scripture of the English word hell. In the New Testament two other words are rendered hell: namely, gehenna and tartaroo, which we will consider in the order named.

Twelve Texts in Which Gehenna Is Translated Hell

This word occurs in the following passages: Matthew 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43, 45,47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6. It is the Grecian mode of spelling the Hebrew words which are translated “Valley of Hinnom.” This valley lay just outside the city of Jerusalem, and served the purpose of sewer and garbage burner to that city. The offal, garbage, etc., were emptied there, and fires were kept continually burning to consume utterly all things deposited therein, brimstone being added to assist combustion and insure complete destruction. But no living thing was ever permitted to be cast into gehenna. The Jews were not allowed to torture any creature.

When we consider that in the people of Israel God was giving us object lessons illustrating his dealings and plans, present and future, we should expect that this Valley of Hinnom, or gehenna, would also play its part in illustrating things future. As we shall see, it was indeed the type or illustration of the Second Death—final and complete destruction, from which there can be no recovery; for after that, “there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,” but only “fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26,27).

Let us remember that the people of Israel, for the purpose of being used as types of God’s future dealing with the race, were typically treated as though the ransom had been given before they left Egypt, though only a typical lamb had been slain. When Jerusalem was built, and the temple—representative of the true Temple, the Church, and the true kingdom as it will be established by Christ in the Millennium—Israel typified the world in the Millennial Age. Their priests represented the glorified Royal Priesthood, and their Law and its demands of perfect obedience represented the law and conditions under the New Covenant, to be brought into operation for the blessing of all the obedient, and for the condemnation of all who, when granted fullest opportunity, will not heartily submit to the righteous ruling and laws of the Great King.

Seeing, then, that Israel’s polity, condition, etc., prefigured those of the world in the coming age, how appropriate that we should find the valley or abyss, gehenna, a figure of the Second Death, the utter destruction in the coming age of all that is unworthy of preservation; and how aptly, too, is the symbol, “lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20), drawn from this same gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom, continually burning with brimstone.

The expression adds force to the symbol, “fire,” to express the utter and irrevocable destructiveness of the Second Death; for burning, brimstone is the most deadly agent known. How reasonable, too, to expect that Israel would have courts and judges resembling or prefiguring the judgments of the next age; and that the sentence of those (figurative) courts of the (figurative) people under those (figurative) laws to that (figurative) abyss, outside that (figurative) city, would largely correspond to the (real) sentences of the (real) court and judges in the next age. If these points are kept in mind, they will greatly assist us in understanding the words of our Lord in reference to gehenna; for though the literal valley just at hand was named and referred to, yet his words carry with them lessons concerning the future age and the antitypical gehenna —the second Death.

Shall Be in Danger of Gehenna

Matthew 5:21,22—“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be amenable to the judges; but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall [future—under the regulations of the real kingdom] be amenable to the judges; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [villain], shall be in danger of the [high] council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell [gehenna] fire.”

To understand these references to council and judges and gehenna, all should know something of Jewish regulations. The “Court of Judges” consisted of seven men (or twenty-three—the number is in dispute), who had power to judge some classes of crimes. The High Council, or Sanhedrin, consisted of seventy-one men of recognized learning and ability. This constituted the highest court of the Jews, and its supervision was over the gravest offenses. The most serious sentence was death; but certain very obnoxious criminals were subjected to an indignity after death, being refused burial and cast with the carcasses of dogs, the city refuse, etc., into gehenna, there to be consumed. The object of this burning in gehenna was to make the crime and the criminal detestable in the eyes of the people, and signified that the culprit was a hopeless case. It must be remembered that Israel hoped for a resurrection from the tomb, and hence they were particular in caring for the corpses of their dead. Not realizing fully God’s power, they apparently thought he needed their assistance to that extent (Exodus 13:19; Hebrews 11:22; Acts 7:15,16). Hence the destruction of the body in gehenna after death (figuratively) implied the loss of hope of future life by a resurrection. Thus, to such, gehenna represented the Second Death in the same figurative way that they as a people illustrated a future order of things under the New Covenant.

The same thought is continued in Matthew 5:29,30: “It is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell [gehenna].” Here again the operation of God’s Law under the New Covenant is contrasted with its operation under the Old or Jewish Covenant, and the lesson of self-control is urged by the statement that it is far more profitable that men should refuse to gratify depraved desires (though they be dear to them as a right eye, and apparently indispensable as a right hand) than that they should gratify these, and lose, in the Second Death, the future life provided through the atonement for all who will return to perfection, holiness, and God.

The point to be specially noticed here is that gehenna, which the Jews knew, and of which our Lord spoke to them, was not a lake of fire to be kept burning to all eternity, into which all would be cast who get “angry with a brother” and call him “a fool.” No; the Jews gathered no such extreme idea from the Lord’s words. The eternal torment theory was unknown to them. It had no place in their theology. The point is that gehenna symbolized the Second Death—utter, complete, and everlasting destruction. This is clearly shown by its being contrasted with life as its opposite. “It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, than [otherwise] to be cast into gehenna.” It is better that you should deny yourselves sinful gratifications than that you should lose all future life, and perish in the Second Death.

Able to Destroy Both Soul and Body in Gehenna

Matthew 10:28—“Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna].” Here our Lord pointed out to his followers the great cause they had for courage and bravery under the most trying circumstances. They were to expect persecution, and to have all manner of evil spoken against them falsely, for his sake, and for the sake of the “good tidings” of which he made them the ministers and heralds; yea, the time would come, that whosoever would kill them would think he did God a service. Their consolation or reward for this was to be received, not in the present life, but in the life to come. They were assured, and they believed, that he had come to give his life a ransom for many, and that all in their graves must in consequence, in due time, hear the Deliverer’s voice and come forth, either to reward (if their trial had been passed in this life successfully), or future trial (judgment), as must be the case with the great majority who do not, in this present life, come to the necessary knowledge and opportunity essential to a complete trial.

Under present conditions men are able to kill our bodies, but nothing that they can do will affect our future being (soul), which God has promised shall be revived or restored by his power in the resurrection day, the Millennial Age. Our revived souls will have new bodies (spiritual or natural)—“to each seed his own [kind of] body,” and these none will have liberty to kill. God alone has power to destroy utterly—soul and body. He alone, therefore should be feared, and the opposition of men even to the death is not to be feared if thereby we gain Divine approval. Our Lord’s bidding then is, fear not them which can terminate the present (dying) life in these poor, dying bodies. Care little for it, its food, its clothing, its pleasures, in comparison with that future existence or being which God has provided for you, and which, if secured, may be your portion forever. Fear not the threats, or looks, or acts of men, whose power can extend no farther than the present existence; who can harm and kill these bodies, but can do no more. Rather have respect and deference to God, with whom are the issues of life everlasting—fear him who is able to destroy in gehenna, the Second Death, both the present dying existence and all hope of future existence.

Here it is conclusively shown that gehenna, as a figure, represented the Second Death—the utter destruction which must ensue in the case of all who, after having fully received the opportunities of a future being or existence through our Lord’s sacrifice, prove themselves unworthy of God’s gift, and refuse to accept it, by refusing obedience to his just requirements. For it does not say that God will preserve soul or body in gehenna, but that in it he can and will “destroy” both. Thus we see that any who are condemned to the Second Death are hopelessly and forever blotted out of existence.

Matthew 18:9—“It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell [gehenna] fire.” This verse refers to that same discourse recorded in Mark 9:43-48 (see subsequent page).

Matthew 23:15,33 The class here addressed was not the heathen who had no knowledge of the truth, nor the lowest and most ignorant of the Jewish nation, but the Scribes and Pharisees, outwardly the most religious, and the leaders and teachers of the people. To these our Lord said, “How can ye escape the judgment of hell [gehenna]?”

These men were hypocritical. Abundant testimony of the truth had been borne to them, but they refused to accept it, and endeavored to counteract its influence and to discourage the people from accepting it. And in thus resisting the Holy Spirit of light and truth, they were hardening their hearts against the very agency which God designed for their blessing. Hence they were wickedly resisting his grace, and such a course, if pursued, must eventually end in condemnation to the Second Death, gehenna. Every step in the direction of willful blindness and opposition to the truth makes return more difficult, and makes the wrongdoer more and more of the character which God abhors, and which the Second Death is intended to utterly destroy. The Scribes and Pharisees were progressing rapidly in that course: hence the warning inquiry of our Lord, “How can ye escape?” The sense is this: Although you boast of your piety, you will surely be destroyed in gehenna unless you change your course.

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